SL players available for Bangladesh Tests after making peace with board

A pay dispute between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its 23 centrally contracted players ended on Monday with the cricketers signing new contracts and making themselves available for the two-Test series against Bangladesh starting on Friday.

The SLC and Sri Lankan sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage had threatened to drop the 23 senior players if they did not sign the new contracts by Monday. "Twenty two out of 23 players have signed the contracts which makes them available for the selection for Bangladesh Test series," SLC chief executive officer Ajith Jayasekera told Reuters.

"Twenty two out of 23 players have signed the contracts which makes them available for the selection," SLC chief executive officer Ajith Jayasekera said.

Former captain Mahela Jayawardene, who is abroad, was the only player who did not sign his contract. "The selection committee met [on Monday] and the team is in the process of approval," Jayasekera added.

The contracts expired at the end of February but the players refused to sign a new contract by Saturday's deadline. The SLC extended the deadline to Monday. SLC officials and Aluthgamage have said the players were demanding a pay of 75 percent of the board's total earnings, while a senior cricketer said they were merely opposing SLC's move to cut their terms.

A similar pay dispute threatened to derail last year's Sri Lanka Premier League after the players said they would pull out of the tournament. Galle hosts the first Test against Bangladesh from Friday while the second match is scheduled in Colombo from March 16.